New Info Regarding APA Rankings

NewStroke said:
I asked my league operator what it was going to take to break into the 7 skill level (it's a personal goal since I have to be in this league). Here was his official email response

"Each week the formula changes depending upon many factors. It is hard to predict your skill level. "

Isn't that a kick in the pants?
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Like a lot of other people have said, don't worry about rushing to a 7. Just keep kicking butt as a 6 and you'll get there soon enough. Going to a 7 in the APA does limit you a bit.

It can be difficult to move up to a 7. I was 20-2 over two sessions before I went from a 6 to a 7. Same thing in 9 ball. I was 18-2 as a 7 before I got bumped to an 8.

I don't play APA anymore because it's tough to find a team as a high number. The 23 rule makes it tough for higher handicaps.
 
Apa

dr2112 said:
:shrug: What's wrong with playing in clown shoes?? Seriously I wish everyone would strive to get their handicap better. I heard a guy whom was/is a 6 say that his goal is to be the best 6 in the league. Does he mean that he wants to be the best "sandbagger in the league" My goal would certainly be to be the best player in the league.
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Interesting, is being the best 6 in the league better than being the weakest 7?
 
Bambu said:
They want you to know as little as possible about the formula. But usually if you can finish games in around 1.5 innings or less, they dub you a 7.
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Are you kidding :eek:, I've had 5's beat me in your above mentioned scenario, and they STAY 5's :sorry:!!!

Maniac
 
Predator5K4 said:
Interesting, is being the best 6 in the league better than being the weakest 7?
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Yes, if winning is your goal. There is virtually NO discernible difference between a strong 6 and a weak 7. But the 7 is going to spot the 6 a game.

Maniac
 
It is all your innings on your best matches. If you average two innings per game, you will not get there. So get up and run out (or run to a game-winning safety). Playing safe and conservative will not move you up to a 7.
 
Maniac said:
Are you kidding :eek:, I've had 5's beat me in your above mentioned scenario, and they STAY 5's :sorry:!!!

Maniac
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I've bounced between a 4 and a 5 and in my observations the biggest difference between a a 5 and a 6 or a 7 is that a 5 has enough skill to run out out when they are in the zone. A 7 has the skill to still win a very high percentage even when they are not in the zone.

LWW
 
I thought it was kind of amusing that someone in the APA who is likely a 6 is asking how to get to a 7, and not how to go back down to a 5...lol

BTW, in the APA, 5 is the magic number. Why anyone would want to be rated higher than that is beyond me. I'm not saying why anyone would want to play better than a supposed 5 plays is beyond me, I'm saying RATED. Wanna keep a team of buddies together? Want to actually have a shot at winning regional tourneys? Want to NOT have to find new entry level players for your team every year? 5 is the magic number! :p
 
trustyrusty said:
I thought it was kind of amusing that someone in the APA who is likely a 6 is asking how to get to a 7, and not how to go back down to a 5...lol

BTW, in the APA, 5 is the magic number. Why anyone would want to be rated higher than that is beyond me. I'm not saying why anyone would want to play better than a supposed 5 plays is beyond me, I'm saying RATED. Wanna keep a team of buddies together? Want to actually have a shot at winning regional tourneys? Want to NOT have to find new entry level players for your team every year? 5 is the magic number! :p
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Amen to that. I captain an dj apa team. Started playing for fun with some friends then the captain moved so I took it over or the team would have folded.

9 ball is even worse with the 23 rule. My 9 Ball is 9,5,5,5,4,4,3,2. The 23 rule is biggest problem. Its almost impossible to get my 9 to play 9 ball and still be able to win the 9 ball match that night when we have to play 9,4,4,3,2 just so my 9 can even play. On nights the 9 plays we average 43.2 points a night. On nights he doesn't and we play some combo 5's and 4's we average 61.5 point per night. I have to keep a very bad 2 on the team and put her up against 3/4's then hope she doesn't have a good night and win. We have had to drop/add 3 2's over the last 2 sessions so we can keep our nine. Its also not fair or fun to the 2 to be sacrifiacal lamb every week as well.
The whole team concept it a joke when your best player on your team can't play. Unfortunately apa is really the only league around.
 
Maniac said:
Yes, if winning is your goal. There is virtually NO discernible difference between a strong 6 and a weak 7. But the 7 is going to spot the 6 a game.

Maniac
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I guess I should have rephrased. Would you rather be the strongest 6, or the weakest 7 in an area? Obviously you probably have a greater chance of winning by being at the top of your skill level, but from a goal perspective, which is better? I'm thinking the latter.
 
I didn't have the time to read all the posts (just read some above on this page 5), but if you DO become a SL7 on many teams I've played on...you may be looking for a new team, like said.

Even worse is trying to BECOME a SL7!

What you really want to do here is find out how to shoot like a SL7, but drop down to a SL5 in the process, then your onto something. Good luck in the playoffs!@#
 
Total_Chaos13 said:
Amen to that. I captain an dj apa team. Started playing for fun with some friends then the captain moved so I took it over or the team would have folded.

9 ball is even worse with the 23 rule. My 9 Ball is 9,5,5,5,4,4,3,2. The 23 rule is biggest problem. Its almost impossible to get my 9 to play 9 ball and still be able to win the 9 ball match that night when we have to play 9,4,4,3,2 just so my 9 can even play. On nights the 9 plays we average 43.2 points a night. On nights he doesn't and we play some combo 5's and 4's we average 61.5 point per night. I have to keep a very bad 2 on the team and put her up against 3/4's then hope she doesn't have a good night and win. We have had to drop/add 3 2's over the last 2 sessions so we can keep our nine. Its also not fair or fun to the 2 to be sacrifiacal lamb every week as well.
The whole team concept it a joke when your best player on your team can't play. Unfortunately apa is really the only league around.
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Take you entire league over to TAP. Where are you? I'm sure TAP would be glad to have you!!!:thumbup:

MM...and we have the Rally in the Valley!!!
 
Predator5K4 said:
I guess I should have rephrased. Would you rather be the strongest 6, or the weakest 7 in an area? Obviously you probably have a greater chance of winning by being at the top of your skill level, but from a goal perspective, which is better? I'm thinking the latter.
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if you are GOAL oriented I wouldn't think that a ranking or label should matter....just your play. If you are working hard on things that need improvement in your game, the labels will come on their own! Winning isn't ALWAYS the goal - improving is.

If I were to play Shane Van Boening and lose, but pick up something here and there that I thought was valuable, and it bettered my game....I'm a winner in that loss too. :D
 
MikeM said:
Take you entire league over to TAP. Where are you? I'm sure TAP would be glad to have you!!!:thumbup:

MM...and we have the Rally in the Valley!!!
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Oh, OK...We've had TAP in our area, and, due to, ahem, circumstances, the league folded. Again, this is in our specific area.

I've heard reports from many (granted, four years ago) that the TAP nationals is the largest collection of sand baggers known to pool, and that's saying something. This is coming second hand from a pretty reputable shooter in our area, so take that for what it's worth. Guy said that if they threw out every guy shooting above his SL, they would have to disqualify the entire tournament.

Again, this was a few years back, and hopefully they cleaned that up. I have no idea and don't want to spread wild gossip as fact here.

THAT said...there is a lot to like about TAP; Teams SL up to 25, and everyone drops a SL rating or lower, on average; APA SL5s can shoot as a TAP SL4, or even three. I've seen rock solid APA SL6s shooting as TAP SL4s. Nights go faster in general this way; better SL rated shooters, shorter races = less time. It was rare to start at 7:30 and go past 10:30, even with tons of safes on both sides.

Again, all of this is in MY local area, and your area may be significantly different.
 
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It also depends on the area you shoot in. If your caliber of competition is high, the SL are adjusted because its harder to win.
For instance i was a SL 5 about a year and a half ago in the Chicago suburbs and was able to be highly competitive. I went on vacation to South Carolina and visited some friends, ended up shootin some. Now most of them are all SL7's, and after a couple sets I'm giving them the 8-out and the breaks.
Did that make me a 7 in my area? Dont think so...

Also when you get to SL7 there are different tiers...
In our regional singles qualifier SL7's include people who definetely play close to pro speed(ie. Tina Larsen, Sergent, Idrovo, Runnels, etc.) and then some folks who I play even up with...
In APA if you can play jam up and get a spot, take it and run!!:outtahere:
 
trustyrusty said:
if you are GOAL oriented I wouldn't think that a ranking or label should matter....just your play. If you are working hard on things that need improvement in your game, the labels will come on their own! Winning isn't ALWAYS the goal - improving is.

If I were to play Shane Van Boening and lose, but pick up something here and there that I thought was valuable, and it bettered my game....I'm a winner in that loss too. :D
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I agree with everything that you said. I guess I view the skill level, whether it be APA or BCA as a quantification of my playing ability. You can say take the PAT or some other scoring method, but league is something that occurs every week, or there is constant updating and incorporating new information.
 
poscdr09 said:
It also depends on the area you shoot in. If your caliber of competition is high, the SL are adjusted because its harder to win.
For instance i was a SL 5 about a year and a half ago in the Chicago suburbs and was able to be highly competitive. I went on vacation to South Carolina and visited some friends, ended up shootin some. Now most of them are all SL7's, and after a couple sets I'm giving them the 8-out and the breaks.
Did that make me a 7 in my area? Dont think so...

Also when you get to SL7 there are different tiers...
In our regional singles qualifier SL7's include people who definetely play close to pro speed(ie. Tina Larsen, Sergent, Idrovo, Runnels, etc.) and then some folks who I play even up with...
In APA if you can play jam up and get a spot, take it and run!!:outtahere:
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totally agree. An sl7 in one area could easily be a strong 5 in another (you'll see it if you get to Vegas). Seems my area is usually underranked since the teams sent from here often have raising issues!! I no longer play APA...but remember the differences in a 7 from one area and another vividly.

BTW, you still may want a spot from Sergent even if he uses your break cue (mine is an OB) to play with (I found that out in Peoria at the RCO)!! lol :p
 
Kudos to the NewStroke for striving to better his game and have his improvement reflected in his APA skill level. This is a refreshing change from what you usually see in league play, people scheming for ways to get their handicaps lowered.

Keep working on your game and I am sure you will get to your goal.
 
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